Sheet feeding assembly



8 1958 J. J. KIMBRO 2,848,228

SHEET FEEDING ASSEMBLY Filed Dec. so, 1954 INVENTOR.

/0&0 cl Kikzzbra Amam United States Patent SHEET FEED'ING Jolin JJ-Kiinb'ro, Indians-pans, Ii-1a., 'assignor to Radio Corporation of'zfinieriafiziofpbration arniaware Application December 20, 1'954, Serial-1 101478 671 *This invention "relates fo sliet feding magaziiies, and more particularly to fiovel inea'r'is for insiir'ingjreil'loval' of sheets, oneat' a 'time,*frdin-a stack of'she'ets. :Theinvention is "especially applicable to readin I'c'ir'culanlabe'ls, one at a time, from a stack of labels by lnearis'of "a suction cup pickup.

In many 'sheet feeding "operations it' is nees'sar to handle sheets of r'elatively smallsiiewhichhre made of paper or a similar material. One example of a sheet feeding operation is'the delivery of labels,'-'one at'=atifne. A fret' u'ent difficulty with apparatus provided for "the handling offthese'labels is the in ability -of the apparatus to consistently "pick up a single labelfrom a-stack-df labels pr'ovidedin a magazine. One means of separating a plurality of labels which adhere to the pickup member of such apparatus is to-provide 'a plurality of fingers around the-lip of the label container. It' is the' function of these fingers to brush any labels in excess of one from the pickup device. It has been found that this method is not consistently effective. Another means of separating labels as they are picked up from a magazine is to provide an air jet or blast adjacent the top of the magazine which tends to keep the uppermost labels separated and thereby provides for the picking up of a single label. This method has also been found to be not sufliciently consistent for use with automatic machines.

An object of the present invention is to provide a novel assembly for supporting a stack of sheets which provides for the removal of the sheets individually from the stack.

Another object of this invention is to provide a novel magazine assembly from which labels may be removed by suction and which provides for the breaking of suction between the first and second labels.

The present invention is set forth herein, illustratively, in connection with circular labels having a centering aperture provided therein. The labels are supported on a circular supporting table having a centering pin extending upwardly for aligning the label stack on the supporting table. A sleeve member of circular cross section has an internal diameter extending substantially its entire length which is slightly greater than the diameter of either the labels or the supporting table. An inwadly extending an nular flange is provided at one end of the sleeve. This flange has an internal diameter which is less than the diameter of the labels and, therefore, the flange will rest on the labels when the sleeve is placed over the label stack. A cross slot is cut on the diameter of the sleeve and extends downwardly a short distance from the flanged end of the sleeve. This slot permits suction between the labels in the stack to be broken. A vacuum cup arrangement is provided which is movable in any desired manner to extend over the centering pin of the supporting table and which will be received within the smaller diameter of the sleeve to engage the top label of the stack. As the vacuum cup arrangement holding the top label is raised, this label will be cupped and thereby will be assembly in accordance with the "pre'sentifiventidn showing the vacuum cu --'supon assembly in phantom;

Figure 2 is a view in sectional elevation taken along line 2-2 of Figure l 'as viewed in the'dii'eetionof the appendedarrowsyaiid g V f Figure I 3- is a' 'view *sirnilar toFigure 2 showing" ala'hel partially withdrawn from 'the" magazine.

Referring in'ii'ioie detail to the accompanying drawing,

a plurality -of-'- circular labels 1 1 arearr rige in a' ver cal e13 which hasa distack upon a circular supporting ameter substantiallyequal'to"the diaineter of the labels 1'1. The siipporting'table 13 is mduntedo'n asiippor'ting member 15 'which is "a part of an apparatus with which the label rnagazine isu's'ed. Further details of'thisupparatiis ar'e not described or illustrated s'ince"a'jshow'ing thereof is ii'ot essenti'al'to a 'full-understanding'bf the pr'e'seiit invention. 7 v

The suppoitin'g' table "13 is provided with a centering pin 17" which extends upwardlyf-roin"the center of th'e table. '-"Ea'ch label 11-is"pr'ovidedf-with atinte'rin'g hol'e19 which 'is slightly -larger than the "circumference of'tlie centririg pin 17. 4 A

A cylindr-icalsleeve 2- 1 has an internal diameterwhich is sligh tly lar'ger "than the' diarneter"ofa libel 11"iiiid' tlie diameter of the supporting table 13. This larger internal diameter exists from one end of the sleeve to a point just short of the opposite end portion 23 of the sleeve. This end portion 23 of the sleeve has an internal diameter which is smaller than the diameter of the labels 11. To provide for the diameter decrease in a convenient manner, the end portion 23 is in the form of an inwardly extending rim or flange. A suitable taper 25 is formed between the smaller and the larger internal diameters of the sleeve. The internal diameter of the end portion 23 is smaller than the label diameter so as to effectively cup a label as it is drawn from the sleeve 21. The sleeve 21 is placed .over the supporting table and labels which are supported on the table so that the end portion 23 engages the outer portion of the uppermost labels and the sleeve acts as a hold-down device for the labels.

A cross slot is cut through both sides of the sleeve at its flanged end along a diameter of the sleeve. This results in a pair of slots 27 which extend downwardly from the flanged end of the sleeve into the portion of the sleeve having the larger internal diameter. By means of these slots the areas between the upper labels of the stack are not closed off from air outside of the sleeve and therefore these labels will not tend to adhere to each other due to suction between them.

A suction pickup assembly 40 for the above-described magazine comprises a circular disc-like member 41 which has an external diameter somewhat less than the smallest internal diameter of the sleeve 21 and which has an aperture 43 substantially in its center so that the centering pin may pass through the aperture as the suction pickup assembly 40 and the supporting table 13 are moved toward each other. The disc member 41 is attached to an arm 45 which is part of an apparatus which need not be described further as above stated. A plurality of suction cups 47 are attached to the lower surface of the disc member 41 and are connected by means of conduits 49 and 51 to a suitable vacuum pump (not shown). These conduits 49 and 51 are suitably attached to the upper magazine-assembly in order that the suction cups may be i brought into engagement with the labels.

are arranged notto interfere The operation of the pickup assembly will now be described. In order to load the magazine it is necessary to remove the sleeve. 21 from the magazine assembly. Labels 11 are then placed over the pin 17 and rest on the table 13. The sleeve 21 is then placed over the labels so that the end portion 23 of smaller diameter rests on the outer periphery of the uppermost label. When the magazine is loaded the lower portion of the sleeve 21 will slightly overlap the table 13.

In order to make the pickup, the arm 45 is moved into position to place the suction cup assembly 40 directly over the magazine. The magazine assembly is raised or the arm lowered to bring the uppermost label into engagement with the suction cups 47. When the suction cups engage the topmost label, the cups are placed in communication with the vacuum pump through the conduits 49 and 51 by way of any valve means (not shown). As the magazine assembly is lowered from the suction cup assembly 40, the uppermost label will be retained by the suction cups. The sleeve 21 will descend with the magazine assembly and the flange 23 will pull down the outer periphery of the label held by the suction cups. This cupping of the label will cause separation of the labels if more than one is adhering or tending to adhere to the suction cups. Should one or more labels tend to adhere to each other due to suction pressure existing between them, the action of the flange 23 in conjunction with the slots 27 will permit air to enter between these labels to break the suction pressure and allow them to separate, separation being caused by cupping of the topmost label,

What is claimed is:

1. A label pickup assembly for labels having a central aperture comprising, in combination, a support member for a stack of labels, a centering pin on said supporting member for aligning said labels, a sleeve member for enclosing said labels and said support member adapted to move in a vertical direction relative to said support member, said sleeve being provided with an inwardly extending, substantially continuous flange at one end whereby said sleeve is supported on said label stack, said flange overlapping the periphery of said labels, said sleeve being provided with a taper between said flange and said sleeve wall, said sleeve being provided with a slot at its flanged end extending through the flanged portion of said sleeve, and suction pickup means dimensioned to extend within the flanged portion of said sleeve to engage the top label on said stack.

2. A label pickup assembly in accordance with claim 1 wherein said suction means comprises a supporting arm, a plurality of suction cups carried on said arm disposed to extend within said flange portion, and said arm having means permitting said arm to move downwardly over said centering pin.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,296,537 Lombard Mar. 4, 1919 1,508,020 Horwitt Sept. 24, 1924 1,762,975 Getz June 10, 1930 1,805,336 Kowal Mar. 12, 1931 2,434,530 Williams Jan. 13, 1948 2,454,556 Hirst Nov. 23, 1948 FOREIGN PATENTS 502,177 Germany July 10, 1930 

